This invention relates to a device used to position and hold buttons having "sew through" holes which are to be sewn to fabrics or materials by means of a sewing machine.
Buttons come in all shapes and sizes, but actually, there are only two basic types; the sew through and "shank" types. Applicant's invention is directed to a device which aids in positioning and holding a sew through button when it is being sewn with a sewing machine. Most zigzag sewing machines can be used to fasten sew through buttons. However, fastening the sew through buttons with a sewing machine has presented several problems.
The first and most serious problem occurs when the user is attempting to fasten a very small button to the material. These small buttons are frequently encountered on cuffs, shirt collars, blouses, and children's wearing apparel. The button is difficult to keep in place while preparing to stitch it to fabric. One method previously used is to tape the button to the fabric and then stitch through the tape. After the button is stitched, the tape is removed. This is an unacceptable method in that often tape will mar or damage the fabric. Secondly, the tape is not always easily removed from the area between the button and the fabric. Thus, taping is not an acceptable method for holding a button during stitching.
When a button is to be sewn on a fabric, an attachment is installed on the sewing machine, called a button foot which holds the button down against the fabric before, during and after it is stitched. The button foot is generally an L-shaped bracket type device which applies a pressure downward upon the button to hold it in place. The button foot unassisted has generally been found to be unacceptable when trying to hold down very small buttons. The reason is that the button foot is too large and of a configuration that it will not hold the fairly small button down against the material in the exact position during the sewing operation. Rather, the small button tends to slip out from underneath the button foot and can jam the machine or break the needle if it slips out while the needle is reciprocating and sewing. Thus, the button foot has not been found to be acceptable for sewing small buttons.
A second problem encountered when sewing buttons to fabric is providing a space between the bottom of the button and the fabric such that a shank of thread is provided between the button and fabric. The purpose of this shank is to provide a loose fit between the button and fabric. Thus, when the button passes through a button hole on a second piece of material, there is sufficient clearance and freedom of movement of the button to provide easy manipulation and ample spacing of the button for fastening. This problem has been solved in the past by laying a needle, toothpick, or other cylindrical object across the button such that it is positioned between the sew through button holes. It is then stitched simultaneously with the stitching of the button to the fabric. After stitching is completed, the cylindrical object is removed by sliding it out from between the button and thread which thus provides for slack in the thread which is used to form a shank.
A third problem which has been encountered in the past is to provide a means to accurately position a series of buttons the same precise distance from an edge of the fabric. This problem frequently arises when placing buttons along an edge on the front of a shirt or blouse. In the past, the user had to accurately measure the distance from the edge of the fabric and then mark the fabric at the precise distance which the button is to be positioned from the edge. Although this method is satisfactory in providing acccurate placing, it is tedious and time-consuming. It would be advantageous if there was a device which would provide precise and quick placement of a button from an edge of the fabric without the need for marking the fabric.
Another problem has arisen when sewing buttons on fragile fabrics or areas which take a lot of stress. In such applications, it is recommended that a reinforcement button is sewn under the fastening button. Usually a small, flat reinforcing button with the same number of holes is placed underneath the fabric and directly below the fastening button. Then both the fastening button and the reinforcing button are sewn through at the same time. When manually performing such an operation, the user can, after several attempts, generally align the holes in the two buttons so they can be sewn through simultaneously. However, when using a sewing machine, this is not easily done. The reason is that the reinforcing button is not visible under the fabric which has the fastening button placed on top of it. Thus, such a procedure is not normally done on an automatic sewing machine unless alignment of the sew through holes can be guaranteed. Without such alignment, the sewing machine needle will break.
The present invention is directed to a device which is suitable for use with zigzag sewing machines. It provides in a singular device an apparatus which will hold buttons of various sizes, so that they can be accurately positioned and held in that position before and during sewing. Secondly, the device provides for a shank of thread by creating a space between the button and fabric for a loose fit between the two. This provides for easy manipulation of the button when it is to be used for fastening two pieces of fabric by means of a button hole in the second piece. Thirdly, the device provides for the ability to accurately position a button from an edge of the fabric. The selected distance can be repetitively chosen so that consecutive buttons are spaced the same distance from the edge of the fabric. Lastly, the device provides a means to sew a fastening button and a reinforcing button to a fabric simultaneously. The device permits the sew through holes to be aligned and stitched simultaneously without the danger of breaking the needle. Thus, the inventive device accomplishes at least four objectives which are desirable when sewing buttons to fabric using a sewing machine.
According to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings of this application and discussed in detail below, the inventive device comprises a jig which has front and rear edges and a base portion adjacent the rear edge. There is a groove cut in the jig for receiving and holding a button. The groove has converging sidewalls which taper towards each other from the front edge towards the rear edge of the jig. The button is supported by the bottom and sidewalls of the groove. An open channel is cut and extends from the front edge of the jig towards the rear edge and terminates at the base portion. The width of the open channel is at least as wide as the spacing between the sew through holes of the button. There is an elongated pin which is embedded in the base and extends from the base towards the front edge. The pin is centrally located within the open channel.
When a button is to be sewn, it is first placed on the bottom of the groove and slid towards the converging sidewalls until it contacts and is held between the walls. The sew through holes are oriented such that they lie on either side of the pin. The jig is then positioned on the fabric such that the button is oriented directly above the point on the fabric where it is to be fastened. The fabric with the jig is then slid underneath the sewing machine button foot and sewing machine needle. The width of the stitch on the sewing machine needle is set such that the needle will reciprocate between the sew through holes on either side of the pin. The button foot is brought down on the button and the user holds the jig while starting the sewing machine and stitching the button. If the button is of the four sew through hole design, the jig and fabric are merely slid forward into the machine, reorienting the second set of sew through holes underneath the needle, and the procedure repeated. The jig is then slid out from between the button and fabric leaving the button stitched to the fabric. The pin provided an adequate space between the fabric and button such that a shank of thread is formed.
The jig also has graduation marks along its top surface such that it provides for accurate placement of the jig from an edge of the fabric. With these graduations, the jig can be placed the same distance from an edge of the fabric each time a button is sewn thereby providing accurate and consistent positioning of the buttons from an edge.
By turning the jig over, and placing it in its upside down position with a button in the groove, the device can be used for sewing a reinforcing button to a fastening button. One of the buttons is placed in the groove and has its sew through holes properly aligned with the pin. The button and jig is then accurately oriented underneath the sewing machine needle. A piece of fabric is positioned over the jig and button so that the needle will stitch in the proper location on the fabric. The second button is then placed on top of the fabric and underneath the sewing machine needle. Its sew through buttons are visually aligned with the needle and the pin. Thus, the sew through holes on both buttons will be in alignment for simultaneous stitching. Thus, the jig provides for an easy and accurate method of stitching reinforcing buttons to decorative buttons which has heretofore been difficult if not impossible to achieve on a sewing machine.